Many plaintiffs—especially plaintiffs suing their employers—worry that, if their lawsuit becomes publicly visible, future employers will be reluctant to hire them. Few people want to be viewed as a litigious employee. Nonetheless, courts generally reject claims of pseudonymity that are based on such concerns about reputational or economic harm, see pp. 1457-60 of The Law of Pseudonymous Litigation.
But courts aren't entirely consistent on virtually anything related to pseudonymous litigation, and the same is true here. I've seen a few cases that allow pseudonymization, including retroactive pseudonymization, and even retroactive sealing at the behest of such plaintiffs. Here's one in which the court offered at least some degree of explanation, from the L.A. Superior Court.
In 2023, plaintiff had sued Minnesota Public Radio, American Public Media, Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal, and former Marketplace general manager Deborah Clark, alleging that
